For all of you out there who know and remember Toni West. She ran the Falmouth dojo with me for Art Rabesa and also sat on many of the black belt promotion boards. She went under the knife yesterday, open heart surgery which developed into a bit more than expected. They opened up her chest to replace a valve and found that the aorta also was in trouble and they did that as well. About 7 hours on the table. Her son is keeping me informed, he called tonight and she is doing well. I'm sure that she would like to hear from any of you who want to take the time to send her a card. Her home mailing address is Toni West PO Box 584, East Falmouth, Ma. 02536. I don't know how long she will be in Boston but I don't think more than a week. She will have a long recovery at home so I will find out if it is OK to give out her email address. If so, I'll post that here too. A few prayers for her full recovery would help as well. She has been a dear friend of Art and me, an exceptional teacher and Uechi student.
Thank you,
Bill

I expect a call from Toni's son tonight for an update. Last report she was doing "as expected." George I had forgotton that story until you mentioned it. I was there and it just blew away the whole class. She and Art were not actually sparring, Art had picked her, not unusual, to demo some move he was teaching. He got in front of Toni and said now what would your reaction be if I stood here and threatened to beat you. Toni, pulled this one without one second hesitation. Though she had on her gi, she reached down as if she had a skirt on and just lifted up. Arthur, being Arthur, just atomatically looked down and Toni nailed him with a punch that echoed off the walls. He was so surprised all he could say was, "Yep, I guess that would work." Everyone was in stitches. I'll update her condition as I get the reports. Thanks Allen, I will pass your message to Dwain. He and his wife are staying up in Boston until she is in the clear.
Bill

Toni is home from the hospital and everything seems to be going fine. Another example of how Uechi has helped in getting someone through a tough procedure and recovery. She will be housebound for a good while but knowing her, it won't be long before she is up and out running again. I called her this morning and though she sounds a bit weak she is in good spirits and looking for a quick recovery. Hopefully this progress will continue.
Bill

Hi Van,
Yes, Toni got your card and really happy to hear from you. I took care of her dog while she was in the hospital and her son was keeping me informed of her progress. When she got home, I took some dvd's up to help her pass the time and I was shocked. I hadn't seen her since way before she went in the hospital. Usually after this major surgery one loses weight and looks terrible. She looked great!! She lost some weight but you would never know she went through such an ordeal. So, it came as a big surprise when her son called me Tuesday morning from emergency at the hospital. They had to get the ambulance at 3AM to rush her over there. Her heart, I don't know, was skipping around like crazy. She was over there all day and they were getting ready to put her under and use the paddles on her when all of a sudden the heart started hitting on all 8 again. She was lucky considering we were still all pretty well snowed in. She is back home and I called her this morning, she sounds fine. Either my wife or I will be calling regularly to check on her after this episode. Allthough this was serious it has it's funny side. When she told me the story about how the ambulance was across the street from her, that house was pitch black while she had every light on, in and out, they finally had to shout over to them they were at the wrong house. Then on the way to the hospital, the guy taking care of her, in the back, told the driver to haul ass. The roads were rough from the snow and he was trying to put an IV in. She threatened him if he touched her while they were being bounced around, made them stop the ambulance until they got the IV in and then go on to the hospital. I can picture that. She told the guy she had her hand on his leg, if they didn't stop I guess she would have had an extra set of balls. And you know her, she may be female but she damn sure has enormous balls Anyway, I'm sure you will be hearing from her about the card. I'll keep you posted as I will be monitoring her progress, talking to her and Dwain.
Bill

Toni has suffered a stroke. It was at first considered a "mild" stroke, mostly effecting her physically with some disorientation. Her son called me this morning and they were doing more testing. It is now being called a "moderate" stroke, at this time paralizing her one side with some facial effects and more disorientation. They are trying to determine if this is the same or if there has been another stroke and/or bleeding. The doctors are still saying that she can recover but even so it will leave her with permanent disabilities. Her heart has also gone out of sync again. They are not messing with that right now, rather worrying about clotting. This was not good news and we are all praying that she pulls through this latest set back. I'll continue to post as I hear from Dwain. I will find out later today if she can take any phone calls at the hospital. I have her room number and phone number but will wait to hear from Dwain, he didn't know if she would be in condition to talk. Please say a few extra prayers for her.
Bill

Just a quick update on Toni. She has been in ICU, fighting an infection which turned out to be the flu. They figure she picked that up in the emergency room. Her temp has dropped and they seem to have a handle on it now. She is very weak from the coughing and lack of sleep. Her heart went back into sync on it's own but yesterday was bouncing back and forth. Dwain called me and put her on the phone. Her speech sounded good and she seemed to be good mentally. Sounded very weak though. Dwain also told me that she was able to wiggle her finger tips and toes on that paralized side. Good sign. As the swelling in the brain goes down, that may improve. She still has constant severe headaches. That's all for now.
Bill

I have waited giving an up to date report on Toni because of changes in her condition. She is out of the hospital and has been admitted into the Sandwich Rehab Center. I have visited her twice, other than having lost some weight, she looks good. There are no facial changes from the stroke at this time. The bad news is that she still has some bleeding in the brain. She has blood clots in both legs. They put a screen in the artery to try to keep the clots from moving up. They can not give her blood thinners for the clots as long as there is bleeding. They are continuing with rehab. This has now been called a major stroke. Her left side is paralized. She speaks well, a bit slow but seems in control of her thoughts. She is also aware of what has happened and what is going on. Of course she needs two assistants with any kind of movement, ie, into bed, into wheel chair, bathroom etc. What is known at this point is that if she survives this, does not have another stroke and her heart heals, there will be permanent damage and the longer this bleeding goes on the more it can cause additional damage. We can pray for that bleeding to stop so they can tackle the clots and she can start on a long long rehab program. If she can get there, I feel that Toni is the type person who will fight the long fight and get back whatever is possible. If there are any major changes I will post again.
Bill

Latest news about Toni's recovery. Another set back. She is in the hospital getting test. She might have suffered another stroke or possibly a seizure. She is very weak and somewhat disorientated. I won't know anymore until her son calls with more info. She has been fighting and working so hard, this is a real set back. She can use all the prayers and support we can give her. I'll post more as I get the news.
Bill

It's been a long time since my last report, but it's been a long time and a lot of work on Toni's part. She is living at her own home now, staying by herself but with regular daily visits from family and therapist. She is doing really great. They have given her permission to cook and do other things at the house. She is walking without assistance, no crutches or canes. She speaks normally, no facial damage from the stroke. She is not allowed to go down the basement stairs where her washer and dryer are, that bothers her. She wants to try to get her driver's license back but that permission to drive has to come from her doctor and the therapist. Last answer was no, no driving for now. I think maybe they are not only concerned with her physically driving but also her mental reaction. If she does get to drive it would be really a biggie for her. It's tough for her since she has always taken care of herself and she is confined to the house and the yard. She has friends take her to the store and she does her own shopping. After all she has been through I most definitely believe in miracles. She was so near death and to see her now is unbelieveable. Uechi training, that's the miracle. I know it, she knows it, we have both been there. The last I heard from Bruce he is doing fine too. That's great news and I sure hope to see him at summer camp. Stay healthy everybody!!!
Bill

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